Mouse's Gold Medallion
by mathewbailey081
Summary: After Esteban & Tao discover a hidden capability which enables them to travel through time aboard the Golden Condor,they fly & travel through time from the 16th century to present-day New York City where a destiny awaits them.
1. Chapter 1

Mouse's Gold Medallion A Beauty & the Beast crossover fiction story with The Mysterious Cities of Gold by Mathew Bailey BEAUTY & THE BEAST & CHARCTERS COPYRIGHT CBS/RON KOSLOW FILMS THE MYSTERIOUS CITIES OF GOLD COPYRIGHT STUDIO PIERROT

When Tao & Esteban discover a hidden capability that enables the Golden Condor to travel through time, they travel through the air & through time to present day New York City.

January 1st,2013. Several thousand feet in the air,a gold shiny object is moving through the sun-lit clouds. As it approaches, it slowly becomes the shape of a gold bird-shaped aircraft, seemingly with no visible means of propulsion,its large wings stationary.  
Behind the bird's head is a large glass canopy covering a cockpit large enough for several occupants,but with only seven occupants inside consisting of three children,three adults behind them,plus a large green parrot.  
Seated in front,the children from left to right,all twelve years of age, consisted of a brown skinned boy with a shower cap-like mass of black hair with the green parrot perched on his left shoulder. He wore yellow dress-like clothes,  
the clothing extending to just below his knees & accented by a wide horizontal orange stripe that went all around his dress. Seated next to him in the middle holding a golden vertical control stick shaped like a snake that protruded from a golden horizontal cylinder shaped console was a Spanish Caucasian skinned boy with a brown hairstyle,  
the shape of which behind his head & neck made the hair appear in the shape of a bell while a few locks of hair extended halfway down over his forehead. He wore a white shirt with sleeves of about shoulder length.

Hanging from a length of leather cord around his neck was a gold circular medallion,  
& two leather belts worn around the waist of his shirt,one belt positioned at an angle towards a vertical sheath encasing a dagger.  
He wore dark blue colored pants,its legs extending halfway to between his kness & ankles.  
Sitting to the right of him was a young Incan girl with black hair with three locks of it extending halfway down the middle of her forehead. Two longer lengths of hair on either side extended to halfway down her upper chest,  
while the rest of her hair extended to halfway down her back.  
The girl wore a gold headband wich was flanked on either side by a pair of blue upward tapering trapezoidal stones attached to the band.  
She wore an identical gold medallion which hung down over the the top half of her orange dress ,the dress extending to beneath her kness & upper calves & near the bottom of the dress was a narrow horizontal blue stripe followed by a horizontal wide red stripe & then another identical blue stripe.  
Extending from her ankles to halfway up her calves were a pair of white skin tight leggings each topped by a horizontal red band.  
Seated behind them were the three adults one of them being the tallest in height.  
The tallest of the three adults was a Spanish Caucasian wearing thick black curly hair which extended down the back of his neck to his shoulders.  
Two black sideburns on either side of his face extended to mouth height.  
He wore a light tan colored shirt partially covered by a light brown sleveless shirt both of which were topped by a large blue cape,the inside of which was red extending to just above his ankles.  
He wore a wide black belt around his waist to which was attached a small brown narrow leather pack.  
A narrower belt extended at an angle to a sheath holding a 16th century Spanish sword with it's gold hilt visible.  
A pair of black leather boots extended to below the man's knees over a pair of light blue colored pants,the tops of the boots folded down exposing some of their brown leather interior.

Next to the man wearing the cape was a second Caucasian man wearing a brown shirt with wrist length sleeves over a a pair of pants that was a slightly darker brown color. He had a long blue piece of cloth around his neck which was tied at the front of his shirt collar,its loose ends hanging over the top half of his upper chest.  
He had pepper brown hair in which the sideburns extended to his neck below his chin. Halfway down his face,the sideburns also extended outward to either outer edge of his nose.

A third Caucasian adult set next to him & was shorter than the other two adults,his hair was reddish brown & he wore a red cap. A large piece of yellow cloth surrounded his neck & extended slightly over his shoulders & halfway down the topmost part of his back & halfway down his upper chest.  
Underneath the yellow piece of cloth,he wore a gray shirt with sleeves extending to the middle of his forearms,the shirt partially covering a slightly darker gray pair of pants.

This chapter describes the characters from The Mysterious Cities of Gold in the above order as follows:  
Tao & his pet parrot Kokapetl known in French as Pichu,Esteban,Zia,Mendoza,Pedro & last,Sancho. 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

All through the entire day the seven occupants had flown in their Gold Condor in the northeast direction towards the destination described by an elderly Incan shaman who had predicted their actions & fate,mentioning the blonde-haired adult & a medallion of his identical to theirs. As dusk slowly & gradually fell,the ground far below began to slowly become alive with various sized dots & areas of light. Ice began to build within & on the various unprotected areas of the Golden Condor as it flew through the cold,wintry January air.  
Esteban slowly decreased the aircrafts' altitude,staring at the snow & ice-covered ground as it became closer within his & everyone elses' view. The lights below began to change to various colors,an indication of outdoor Christmas lighting in use.  
The lights also started changing to various heights,some indicating houses,while others indicated various taller structures.  
"This is lovely!" Esteban excitedly exclaimed as they passed along & over various areas of the ground below,taking in view of the varoius rivers,streams & lakes.  
"It's really beautiful!" exclaimed the Incan girl Zia.  
The various areas including the snow & ice-covered roads,streets,houses & buildings below appeared as though as if an angel had cast a beautiful spell over the land.  
"Look!" Esteban said. "This must be what the shaman explained!"exclaimed Zia.  
Several large tall buidings began to appear & two distinctive spire-topped buildings caught their eyes.  
Other tall buildings,varying in height & size surrounded them & large bridges in the foreground appeared,everything being covered in lights.  
"This is it!" the brown-skinned Tao exclaimed. "Let's fly over this place & have a better look" Mendoza said.  
The sky was now dark as they began to fly over the city. Below them were snow & ice -covered roofs of various buildings including high rise buildings. To their left field of view was a large,wide elongated area barely occupied by buildings It was occupied by trees,but most of the bare snow -covered ground was visible.  
They began to circle aroud a large,tall-spired building,its shiny,bare silver-like metal spire glistening in the reflected lights. They could see several stacked,arched rows of triangular-shaped windows lit within the upward tapering spire.  
They beagn to fly around another but taller building,its taller spire followed downward by its uppermost floors lit by three different,constantly changing colors. Esteban turned the Condor towards the large area known in the present times they were in as Central Park.  
They found a large area within the park to land,more than large enough as Esteban,with the vertical gold snake-headed control stick in both his hands vertically brought the Condor to a gentle landing on the snow-covered ground near a large culvert.  
The aircraft was still covered in ice & Esteban,unaware that the mechanism that opened & closed the Condors' glass canopy had become jammed with ice,attempted to open it with the controls on the Condors' cylindrical console.  
The canopy's mechanism made a noise,then went silent,the canopy only moving open a few inches before it stopped.  
"It's stuck!"Esteban exclaimed. "Can you try to open it by hand yourself?" Mendoza asked.  
"I'll try." Esteban said. Esteban slipped his hands between the edge of the canopy & its' opening & pulled with all his might. "No.", he said. "It won't move." "Then let's try using our voices for help as we try all together to get it open."  
Mendoza said "It's getting even more colder in here as time passes." he said.  
All of them began shouting as together,they tried with all their might to pull the canopy open but it held fast,their hands beginning to get numb with gripping the cold glass.

Nearby,a blonde-haired adult wearing makeshift winter clothing in which some of it was stitched together by hand heard the distressed voices & turned & began running in the direction of the gold Condor.  
The large bird now within his view,he ran towards it & climbed onto it towards the cockpit.  
He finally reached the cockpit & rapped on the canopy with his fist. "You need help?" he asked & the occupants responded with a yes. "Get us out of here before we succumb to the cold." Mendoza responded.  
"Stay here! Mouse will get help!",the blonde-haired adult said. "Hurry!" Esteban yelled. Mouse climbed down fron the Condor & ran into the culvert & tapped out an urgent message on the pipe. A large man walking within one of the tunnels near the Central Park entrance,wearing long,thick & soft blonde hair with a cat-like human face heard the tapped message & ran towards the entrance. He was there in less than a minute.  
He slid the false wall covering the entrance open & saw Mouse with a frantic look on his face.  
"Vincent,need your help!" "Several people trapped outside! Might freeze to death!"  
"Show me where!" Vincent urgently replied. "Okay good,okay fine!" Mouse exclaimed. "Follow me!"  
Mouse & Vincent arrived at the Condor & climbed up to its cockpit.  
"Won't open." Mouse explained, "Trapped." he said. "Thank goodness,you and your friend's here!" Mendoza exclaimed.  
"It's open some,but it won't move any further." Esteban said.  
"Let me try." Vincent said, & he slipped his fingers around the edge of the canopys' glass. Vincent pulled forward on the canopy with brute strength & it slowly began to slide back towards the front of the cockpit. There was a muffled crack from somewhere within the Condors' workings as the ice that had frozen them solid shattered into thousands of fragments & then the canopy easily slid open the rest of its way. 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Diana Bennett & Catherine Chandler were inside one of the main chambers within the Tunnel community conversing at a table with each other while Father was above at a Helper's apartment.  
Vincent & Catherine's adult son Jacob,asked Catherine where the supply of winter clothes were within the tunnel communtiy.  
After receiving the directions he needed,Jacob went to find the clothes needed.  
Jacob could feel the bond between him & Vincent,his father,that he,Mouse & the seven newcomers needed help.  
After getting the clothes needed for the newcomers,Jacob ran towards the Central Park entrance.  
Appearing from the entrance Jacob let himself guide him to the Gold Condor where Vincent,Mouse & the others awaited.  
Esteban & the other newcomers without hesitating put on the makeshift winter clothes.

Jacob pulled a cell phone from & his pocket after mentioning to the newcomers abut the rules & agreements concerning the Tunnel world &  
called his mother Catherine telling her that thew people have complied with the rules & agreements they were told, Father hearing the conversation between Jacob & his mother.

Even though most of the people within the Helper & Tunnel community used cell phones & computers both Above & Below,  
tapping on pipes was still the primary means of communicating even if there were issues with phone & online communication,  
everyone being careful not to expose the world of Below that would otherwise mean the exploitation or even the end of that world.

Jacob & Mendoza,Sancho & Pedro went towards the Central Park tunnel entrance while Vincent & Mouse boarded the Condor.

Vincent & Mouse helped Esteban,Zia & Tao find a safe hidden place for the Condor that would allow them to quickly & easily get to the Condor from the Tunnels.  
With Esteban's help Mouse flew the Condor to its safe place of hiding while Jacob & the others traveled through the various tunnels.  
Jacob,Mendoza,along with Sancho & Pedro arrived in a large room lit by candles where Father,Diana & Catherine were waiting for them.

While Diana & Catherine wore their own clothes,Father & the rest of the people within the room wore the same makeshift tatterdemalion attire.  
Father,Diana & Catherine had noticed the sword that Mendoza had attached to his belt.  
Jacob introduced the three newcomers to Father & the others. Mendoza asked Father about the various strange forms of lighting that they had seen in both the city & the world Below. Father had explained the various lights were known as electric lighting.  
"I can't explain what electric lighing is or what electricity is," Father siad to them, "but Mouse & some others can explain to you what it & other forms of technology are in this world."  
Father also added,"Besides mostly candles,however, we do have those forms of lighting down here."  
No sooner than Father had finished speaking,Vincent,along with Esteban,Zia & Tao besides Mouse appeared.  
"Father,Diana,Catherine, I assume the other people were introduced before we arrived?"  
Father responded with an assuring yes. "Good." Vincent said. "This is Esteban" Vincent said pointing at the brown-haired,white shirted boy, "and this is Tao"  
Vincent explained the brown-skinned,black haired boy wearing the shower cap hairstyle, "And last,is Zia."he said,introducing the Incan girl & all three children to Father & the other mentioned people.  
Mouse explained that him & Vincent found the newcomers & rescued them from otherwise succumbing to hypothermia.  
Catherine wanted to know if they had any place to stay,but Mendoza sadly explained they didn't other than her & Vincent's world Below.  
After being treated to to warm drinks & hot food,Esteban,Zia & Tao went on a carefully guided exploration of the Tunnel world given by Catherine & others.  
Since they & the other newcomers were new to this world & time,their safety had to be assured.  
Vincent & others had prepared chambers for Esteban & his friends meanwhile,but there was not a chamber for Esteban to sleep in.  
Vincent decided while getting a chamber available for Esteban,that he would have his chamber ready for him & Esteban.  
It was ten o'clock & Esteban & his friends were getting ready for bed,putting on their night clothes that had been given them.  
While Zia & the others had retired to their chambers, Esteban was told where Vincent's chamber was & headed towards it.


	4. Chapter 4

Esteban was tired & exhuausted from the evening that he,Tao & his other friends had from the first time of meeting Vincent & his friends. He had found Vincent's chamber,but Vincent was nowhere to be found. One particular thing that caught Esteban's attention was the large green & gold semi-circular stained glass window at Vincent's bed. Esteban had seen stained glass windows before in Barcelona back in the 16th century,about over five hundred years ago,but they were physically beyond his reach. He was in the present-day 21st century & a calendar on a large wooden furniture desk read that it was January 2013.  
Esteban took some time touching & studying the stained glass window which was easily within his reach. While doing so,  
he hadn't noticed that Vincent had momentarily entered,perhaps to find was wearing pants for to sleep in ,apart from the pants he normally wore.  
He had his gold medallion tied to his pants.  
He settled down to sleep in Vincent's bed & pulled a blanket over him. He never had felt a bed as nicely comfortable as Vincent's in years.  
Esteban was barely asleep when Vincent entered with Catherine.

The blonde-haired man & her talked quietly for a moment about Esteban & his friends & then Catherine left.  
Vincent with a warm smile laid down besides Esteban & told him quietly that it looked to him that Esteban has a lot ahead in this world & gently wrapped one of his fur covered arms warmly around him.

Both him & the twelve year old boy named Esteban then gently drifted off to sleep.

A note about this chapter,I originally intended this chapter to be a test crossover story betwenn Beauty & the Beast & Mysterious Cities of Gold. 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 Before this story goes further,I present an intermission tune which is of course the theme from The Mysterious Cities of Gold.

Children of the sun/See your time has just begun/Searching for your ways/Through adventures every day/  
Every day & night/With the Condor in flight/With all your friends in tow/Search for the cities of gold.  
Ahh-ah-ah-ah-ahh/Wishing for the cities of go-old,/Ahh-ah-ah-ah-ahh/Someday we will find/the cities of gold.  
Do-do-do-do/Ah-ah-ahh/Do-do-do-do/Cites of gold/Do-do-do-do/Cites of gold.  
Second verse,added at end credits of The Mysterious Cites of Gold Children of the sun/Someday soon,you're going to find/That your destiny/Holds the secret,holds the key/  
Ahh-ah-ah-ah-ahh/Someday we will find/ the cities of gold.

6:30 AM,Tuesday, January 2nd,2013.  
A sheet of clouds lightly covered the morning sky over Manhattan,the sun barely visible.  
The snow covered the trees,ground & everything else in Central Park.  
Icicles hung from the trees,the various bridges & numerous benches within the numerous streams,lakes & the reservoir were covered with thick layers upon layers of ice.  
Already,within one of the main chambers Below where they had met the other tunnel inhabitants the evening before,  
Esteban,Zia & Tao were gathered at breakfast at a table. They had not noticed that a mysterious brown-skinned woman,  
wearing an olive-colored cloth on her head was passing by them. She had eyes which though were a milky white color,she could still see through them.  
& also wore tan colored faux wool clothing over a red sweater & as she walked past the three children,she momentarily gazed at them.

Catherine appeared with Vincent approaching the three children.  
Both Vincent & Catherine were carrying outdoor winter clothing of the kind the three children had never seen before.  
Catherine asked Esteban,Zia & Tao if they would like to go Above & walking around & through Central Park & enjoy the various winter scenery within & around it.  
The three children obliged & began putting on their outdoor winter clothing that were given to them.  
Their winter outdoor clothing each had a pair of boots & Esteban's boots were different. The tops of his makeshift winter boots extended up his legs & thighs,ending near his crotch & were lined with faux wool.  
Esteban folded the tops of the boots down,exposing some of the faux wool-lined interior.  
The children along with Catherine appeared into the park from the tunnel entrance,emerging onto a snowy,beautiful winter landscape.  
They had spent until noon with Catherine on the park playing in the snow & on the ice. They also had seen horses pulling their carriages through & around the park,  
their fur lightly covered with a blanket of snow amidst the strang horse-less wheeled vehicles that first looked to them as though they moved on their own,but a look into the vehicles through their closed windows revealed that they were piloted by their occupants.  
Esteban stretched out his arms,unaware that Catherine was watching & began looking skyward.  
Most of the clouds mostly began to clear away & the snowy winter landscape of the park became brilliantly illuminated by the sun.  
Esteban put his arms by his side & momentarily stared at the blue sky in which the remaining clouds occupied.


	6. Chapter 6

This chapter as follows temporarily mentions the X-Men & plus should also mention how Mouse found his medallion identical to Zia's & Esteban's.

Catherine stared at Esteban & what he had just done in mazement,almost in shock.  
She had never seen a twelve year old boy cause most of the clouds to disappear & wondered if Esteban was a mutant.  
She asked the children how Esteban managed to do what she saw & Esteban,Zia & Tao explained that Esteban is known as the child of the sun & how he became to be like he is,  
but Catherine had a feeling about asking the mysterious brown-skinned tunnel dweller known as Narcissa or even Mendoza.  
Better yet,she also knew about mutants,the group belonging to Professor Charles Xavier known as the X-Men & their mutant & non-mutant allies.  
Esteban & the other two children were sitting on one of the park benches (which had a plaque on it bearing a quote from the TV series Beauty & the Beast)  
& Catherine asked them to wait there while she ran a short errand.  
Catherine found a secluded place within some trees & pulled out her cell phone & dialed a number belonging to one of her friends who was part of the X-Men.  
A female voice answered & Catherine replied "Jubilee,it's Catherine,is Ororo Munroe there?"(pause)  
"Okay,I need to speak to her,please."  
Catherine waited & then the voice of another woman was heard. "Ororo,it's Catherine,I have three twelve year old children here with me in Central Park,one of them whose name is Esteban,who he & the other two children claim he has the abiltiy to control the sun,if I'm correct."  
"I'm uncertain of whether or not he is a mutant,but he somehow caused the clouds here in Central Park to clear."  
(pause) "I'm not sure when I want you to meet him or if,but right now,I have my hands full with them,plus three other friends of them,you might know when or if you'll meet them,okay?"(pause) "Okay,thanks."Catherine then pushed a button on her phone which disconnected her & walked back to the three children.

Catherine along with the children returned to the Tunnels & the large chamber where she & the children had departed from earlier.  
Awaiting them were Father,Narcissa,Mouse,Pedro,Mendoza,Sancho & Jacob.  
They gathered at a pair of tables & Narcissa bgan to speak. "Catherine,these are the children I've heard of,correct?"  
Catherine responded with yes. Narcissa again spoke "From what I can tell,these children along with their friends,"  
she said,referring to Pedro,Mendoza & Sancho,"have come a long way here,not only from another place,but also from another time & century." "And what century is that?" Father asked. "According to what I've been told through my ceremonies,it is the 16th century."  
Narcissa mentioned. Father,Jacob & Catherine gasped,almost in shock.  
"How did they manage to get here?" Father asked. "They used a means of transport that also lets them travel through time." Narcissa said.  
"Time travel?" Mouse asked. "Mouse,if I knew what she is saying,I say that Narcissa-"Father said "Silence!" Mendoza shouted in interruption. "Let them speak!"  
"Apparently,you six had met in that time an elderly Incan shaman,no?" Narcissa asked.  
"Yes." Esteban replied. "There was a shaman who had predicted what would happen to us besides our fate & destiny" Mendoza uttered.  
"And he said you would meet a blonde-haired person,correct?" she asked. "Blonde haired?" Father asked "Well, there are a lot of blonde haired people in the Tunnels & Above."  
"There is only one person that the shaman mentioned who is blonde-haired & lives with us." she said,staring at Mouse.  



	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

"That person is you,Mouse." Narcissa said. Mouse looked in shock at Narcissa & then everyone else.  
"How can Mouse be?" Mouse asked. Narcissa said "According to what the shaman said,you have a gold medallion you found years ago,identical to to what Esteban & Zia are wearing." "MNedallion,medallion" Mouse thought,almost hard as Mendoza,Zia,Tao & Esteban almost opened their mouths in shock in response to Narcissa's words.  
"A medallion!? Identical to these children's?"Mendoza asked excitedly "Where & how did Mouse find it?"  
"Does he s stil have it?" Mendoza asked directing his gaze at Mouse. "Found it in wooden chest." "Several years ago."  
"Chest gone,but still have medallion."Mouse said to Mendoza. (The following refers to the Beauty & the Beast episode Fever)  
"Mouse found a wreck of a wooden ship down here several years ago". "None of us know what century it's from."  
"But whoever sailed across the Atlantic Ocean abandoned it,years before this city ever existed".Vincent said. "I have a feeling that ship may have come from one of the European countries at that time or around." Mendoza spoke.  
Mendoza explained that he was an experience sailor,proficient navigator & a master swordsman,which made it clear to Father about the sword Mendoza carried when he & Father first met.  
"Show you where I have my medallion." Mouse said. Everyone consisting of Father,Vincent,Jacob,Mouse,Zia,Esteban,Tao & Mendoza followed Mouse to his chamber.  
They arrived in Mouse's chamber to be greeted by the chattering noise from an animal which revealed itself.  
"Arthur,Mouse know you're hungry" "Got company,shoo." Esteban caught a glimpse of Mouse's raccoon as it headed around a corner & then beyond sight.  
Catherine then appeared in Mouses's chamber & joined the others.  
Mouse found his medallion & handed it to Esteban. On one of the circumferential edges of it, the medallion had an uppercase M scratched into it,indicating the letter was Mouse's initial.  
Just like the Incan shaman had said, the medallion was identical to Esteban's & Zia's.  
"This is amazing." Esteban uttered. "I can't believe it! I thought Esteban & Zia's were the only medallions that ever existed!" Mendoza said.  
"Mouse's Medallion might be the third identical key that unlocks the mysteries of the seven cities of gold."  
"And what that lady here & the old Incan man said is right." Tao mentioned.  
"Seven cities of gold?" "Are those myths?" Father asked. "No,I assure you,those cities are not myths."  
"We have seen them in our time & century."Mendoza told Father. 


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight "And I suppose you can even travel back through time,even forward in that bird of yours?" Father asked.  
"You might never know,But someday,I'll let you know if we are able to do that." Mendoza told Father. "I think that will have to be put off for now." Catherine said with a smile.  
"Besides ,it may be too cold to travel aboard Esteban's aircraft to the times & places I & others would want to go."  
"Remember,you people almost froze to death the first time Mouse & Vincent came across you."  
"I think traveling according to the ways of my world,even around New York City should be okay for now, even for you." Catherine said to Esteban & the other newcomers.  
January & February had passed,During those two months Esteban,Zia,Tao,along with Mendoza,Sancho,Pedro & Tao's pet parrot,Kokapetl had made new friends both Below & Above.  
Everyone Below & Above including Catherine Chandler & Diana Bennett had taught & showed them mostly everything in this year,century & city & still had more ahead to teach & show them.  
Within the library chamber during the month of February,Esteban was asking Vincent & his son Jacob some things including questions about what they saw the first time they arrived in the Condor.  
They Were looking at an LCD computer screen,displaying the various landmarks & places within New York City including Manhattan. Esteban described the silver-spired building that he & his friends had seen aboard the Condor. Vincent & Jacob showed Esteban & his friends that it was the Chrysler Building.  
Esteban then described another building that was similar,but taller. He & his friends were shown & explained to that it was the Empire State Building.  
Later that month,Esteban,Zia,Tao along with Mendoza,Pedro & Sancho were taken by MTA city bus along with Catherine to the Empire State Building.  
They had paid their visitation fee with cards that Catherine had ordered made for them,so they would not have to pay any money to visit the landmark.  
They went through the the turnstiles inside the lobby with Esteban getting help going through them from Catherine & headed towards the elevators.  
Esteban pressed the up button at one bank of elevators,the button immediately turning green.  
They waited for half a minute & then the green light above the red down light lit & the arrival bell sounded.  
The elevator doors opened & they stepped in along with a few other people. Esteban began to glimpse at something on the floor of the elevator cab as the doors closed & Catherine pressed the button labeled '86th Floor Non-Stop'. He,Zia & Tao noticed on the floor a round bronze medallion that was part of the elevator's floor.  
It had the lateral & longitudinal lines ,some of them curved occupying the circular medallion. In the form of what looked like written cursive script,  
across the with of the round bronze plate,read the first letter in the form of an uppercase O,the three lowercase letters following it read "tis"  
Together,they read as "Otis" Esteban looked at the text surrounding the circle which read in uppercase letters "OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY" Esteban began to pronounce the name,but had difficulty saying the name while he,Tao & Zia stared at the round metal plate.  
Asking Catherine what it said ,she responded to Esteban with "It says Otis Elevator Company."  
The elevator came to a stop & the doors opened. They headed toward one of several elevators that was to take them from the 86th floor abservation area to the 102nd floor. Pressing the up button, Catherine waited & then the doors opened.  
Waiting for them was an elderly male elevator attendant,wearing a uniform similar to what theatre ushers including those at Radio City Music Hall would wear.  
They stepped in with other people & the attendant closed the hoistway doors followed by the collapsible scissor gate -like doors.  
Esteban noticed the man put his hand on the wooden handle of a large,round bronze control crank & move it to the left.  
There came a heavy-muscled whir from the elevator's machiney room which was far upstairs as the motor-generator set used for converting the buildings' electricity to the current for one of the large gearless elevator hoist motors whirred to life.  
A secocond later,accompanied by faintly heard control relays,the elevator cab began to move upwards,slow at first & then faster as Esteban,watching with amazement watched the hoistway doors speed downward past them. Less than a minute passed & then the elevator began to slow.  
A few more seconds & it inched slowly towards the 102nd floor,stopping level with it. 


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 "One hundred second floor observation.",the attendant mentioned as he opened the elevator car & hoistway doors,Esteban,Catherine & their friends stepping out into the 102nd floor observation & others other than Catherine stared in amazement at the 102nd Floor's 1930's era Art Deco interior. They wandered around the area & were greeted bu several large interior archways,each of which were flanked by a pair of silver quarter-sphere-shaped light fixtures that shone upward. The archways were painted white & were outlined by numerous rivets.  
Esteban & the others walked toward the large sqaure picture windows,each separated by white vertical columns that were lined with rivets. The windows sat atop green steel walls,the top edges of which were also outlined with rivets.  
The first thing that Esteban & his friends saw was the Chrysler Building,its silver spire protruding upward.  
"This is amazing ! Fantastic!" Esteban exclaimed in awe. "Hey,look! That's Central Park! That's where we first met Vincent & his friends!" Zia excalaimed.  
They wnet over to another set of windows & spotted the long,wide rectangular expanse that was Central Park.  
"Am I dreaming?" Pedro aksed "No,you're not dreaming,Pedro. We are in a building high above the ground." Mendoza replied.  
"Oh,m-my,look at that!" Sancho stuttered. The Mysterious Cities of Gold characters along with Catherine loitered around some more & then it was time for them to head to the 86th floor observation area.  
Esteban & others entered the elevator to head down to the 86th floor observation deck. As they entered,they noticed there was no attendant in the elevator.  
The people waiting for the attendant were growing impatient & Esteban sensed it,He asked Catherine & with her approval,  
he closed both the hoistway & car doors. He grabbed the wooden-handled control,but the elevator began to move upward. "Other way,Esteban." Catherine mentioned & Esteban moved the handle the other direction & then the elevator began to move downward.  
The elevator took off at a rapid pace & Esteban realized he was going a bit too fast & moved the handle slightly toward the inside doors,causing it to slow to a comfortable pace.  
The floors sped upward past them & then the car began to slow as it approached the 86th floor. Catherine felt the elevator jerk to a stop & told Esteban to pull on the handle again,since he had stopped it too early. Esteban complied &  
moved the handle once more away from the inside elevator moved once again & then automatically inched its way downward,stopping level with the 86th floor.  
After enjoying more of their time looking at the city & surrounding areas on the 86th floor,Esteban & the others left the Empire State Builing headed back toward Central Park after Catherine flagged down a taxi cab. Within several minutes,they arrived at the Central Park & headed to the main chambers.  
Vincent & Mouse were waiting for them in the library chamber & Vincent mentioned to them that Mouse had the abandoned subway that they took a year in restoring & repairng finally working.  
Mouse wanted to show everyone else in the Tunnels including Father how the subway was at last working.  
Everyone began cheering that at last everyone within the Tunnel & Helper community finally had a working private subway of their own.  
Without any hesitation,Mouse,Vincent,Esteabn & their friends headed toward the newly working subway station.  
It was an hour by the time they arrived. The main subway station was located below the basement of the Rogers,Peet building located on Warren Street & Broadway.  
The station was located at 260 Broadway at the corner of Warren Street.  
Below the basement were two large rooms adjacent to the subway station housing the machinery. They were large brick & tile rooms.  
There was a narrow space between the rooms in which both of its walls had a large metal shaft running through them.  
Esteban could hear the loud but muffled sound of a steam engine hidden somewhere within one of the two large rooms. 


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10 In the other large room,soon to be seen By Esteban & his friends was a large massive Roots rotary blower housing a pair of winged rotors within it. The vertical oval shaped piece of machinery housing the twin rotors was 21 feet high,13 feet wide & 18 feet in length.  
In the engine room adjacent to it,was the large twin cylinder steam engine that drove the the blower through four large gears & the aforementioned large,single long shaft.  
Vincent & the others entered through a pair of doors that were mechanically rigged to another pair of doors at the other end of a room,  
so that if one pair of doors were open,the others could not be opened. This room functioned as an airlock,keeping any air from unnecessarily escaping.  
The decorative wooden doors were were made of almost thick,but solid wood & were of a pre-Victorian design.  
They entered through the second pair of doors.  
They came into a large saloon & waiting area that was 120 feet long.  
Esteban was the first to see the main interior of the subway station & gasped at the immensity of it.  
AT the end of the waiting area was the mouth of an eight foot diameter tunnel. A pair of steps led down from the waiting area to the subway platform & tunnel entrance. Unseen in front of the tunnel & to the right of it was an opening covered by a decorative grate that had an identical door set into it that was locked to the right of the grated opening was the twin cylinder stationary steam engine of about two hundred horsepower that Esteban heard it was the large drive shaft geared to the engines' flywheel & followed by it were a pair of large boilers.  
Though cosmetically restored,the boilers were beyond repair. Instead, a steam main supplied the pressurized steam to the engine that Mouse had rigged to it.  
What everyone didn't see was that directly beneath the waiting area was another opening for air to circulate through the blower ,but the only visible evidence that it was there was a grated opening in the waiting room floor next to the rooms' right wall. The area from everyone's point of view looked like the late 19th century front basement dining room of a first class city residence.  
The interior as well as the lighting within the tunnel was originally lit by gas lamps which Mouse & others had converted to electricity.  
Above the tunnel entrance was a keystone of pressed brick over which were the letters in German text that read 'Pneumatic'  
followed below it by the year '1870' & then below it the word 'TRANSIT',the two T's larger than the rest of the words' lettering. 


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11 There was a rumbling sound emanating from within the tunnel that was suddenly heard accompanied by the metallic screeching of flanged metal wheels on steel track. The noise became louder & then a large wood & metal cylinder rounded the right hand curving tunnel entrance & came into view. The subway car that was now in view was not the oringial car,but an exact replica of it,the evidence that it had not yet had the work completed on its exterior finish.  
Esteban saw the cylindrical subway car stop with Jacob at the front of it,holding the crank-like brake the other end of the car was an identical brake handle & in front of either was guard work consisting of polised bronze interior guard railing that was salvaged from an old hotel that was being renovated.  
At either end of the wooden car in which large strap steel bands encircling either exterior end of the car was a wooden door with a rounded top that had glass rounded top windows set into them.  
On either side of the doors were large vertical oval shaped windows with glass set into car stopped a few feet away from the steps that led up toward the waiting area.  
Zia & others were amazed at the interior of the car as they boarded it. The interior was brilliantly lit by a pair of battery powered white LED fixtures cleverly disguised as late 19th centruy era table lamps. It had four richly upholstered sofas that were fastened to the cars' interior each pair of sofas,were the lamps sitting fastened to the square wooden tables upon which they sat,  
each one in front of a vertical oval window that looked out through either side of the car.  
Above the doors on either end were four small round openings,perhaps for doors were closed & Jacob signaled for Mouse to reverse the air flow that would push the pneumatic subway car into & along the tunnel.  
Mouse reversed the airflow & throttled up the steam was a screaming whistling sound of moving air as it bore agianst the subway car & then the car began to move.  
Esteban got up along with Zia & Tao & began looking through the glass window within the door. They saw ahead of them & moving past them the white walls of the newly repaired brick subway tunnel. "This is super! It's Fantastic!" Esteban exclaimed.  
"Yes ."Zia said. "It's fantabulous.", Tao laughed "How do you like it,Kokapetl?" Tao asked.  
"No bird can move through a tunnel like that,it scares me stiff!" Kokapetl three children began laughing.  
The car began exited the tunnel & entered a similar subway station with the following exceptions:It did not have an engine or blower.  
The waiting room was between 60 & 120 feet long.  
The occupants stepped out into the station & looked around it. After plenty of time of looking around,they saw two signs on the wall in German text.  
One read 'BROADWAY & MURRAY STREET', the other read 'ALFRED PNEUMATIC TRANSIT-BUILT 1870'  
An hour later,everyone was back in the main Tunnel community. Esteban now had his own chamber & was asleep in it.  
Vincent & Catherine were in Vincent's chamber & had just laid in Vincent's bed. They were discussing the events of the day & evening & had finished saying their final words before drifting off to sleep Above,  
the lights of the Empire State Building went dark at midnight as they were switched off. THE END Note from author: The part of this & previous chapter is about a real life subway in New York City that was built in 1870 by Alfred Ely Beach who was an editor of the magazine Scientific American which is still printed,  
& the owner of his business, Beach Pneumatic Transit Company. The link to the site about Beach's subway can be accessed here at .edu/~brennan/beach.  
Mouse's Gold Medallion Cast of characters Herself-Diana Bennett Herself-Catherine Chandler Himself-Esteban Himself-Father Himself-Jacob Wells Himself-Kokapetl Himself-Mendoza Himself-Mouse Herself-Narcissa Himself-Pedro Himself-Sancho Himself-Tao Hinself-Vincent Wells Herself-Zia Mouse's Gold Medallion Story Concept & Writing by Mathew Bailey BEAUTY & THE BEAST COPYRIGHT CBS/RON KOSLOW FILMS & WITT-THOMAS PRODUCTIONS & REPUBLIC PICTURES/PARAMOUNT TELEVISION A VIACOM COMPANY. MYSTERIOUS CITIES OF GOLD COPYRIGHT STUDIO PIERROT & NHK PRODUCTIONS NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT OF ANY KIND INTENDED.X-MEN TM & CHARACTERS COPYRIGHT MARVEL COMICS/MARVEL ENTERTAINMENT GROUP


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